Chipotle-braised short ribs

I've gotten a bit frustrated lately with the amount of time it seems to take to make good food. Apart from stir fries and PB&Js (which, let's be real, are amazing and an essential part to a healthy diet), I take a really long time in the kitchen.Most days, I love being in the kitchen. I love the smells, the sounds, the bustling, warm activity of it all. But sometimes, other things get in the way. When you have a seven-month old who can dump out the recycling bin and suck on the end of a shampoo bottle within a matter of the six seconds that you turn your back (true story), you don't exactly have the luxury of making your own broth, whisking constantly, or searing-to-perfection every single day.

That brings us to short ribs. I've had a few packages that have been staring at me from the freezer. I've made them once. They were gorgeous. They were insanely good. They took the most gigantic amount of time to make. But when you step back and take a good hard look at what really went on in the recipe, you were really just simmering some meat in some stuff. Couldn't I just cut out all the other mess? All short rib recipes call for searing the ribs first, draining the fat, then cooking them more, then draining more fat. Also, it called for lots of prep time in the seasoning, the chopping of veggies, etc. My goal with this meal was to minimize the fuss, stick her in the oven, then get rid of all the fat at the end. Am I compromising some stuff? Probably. But the end result was still awesome, my braising liquid will definitely be repeated in the future, and my baby is not ingesting soap. Success.

In the spirit of things, I decided not to go to the store for any of the ingredients. All of these items are pantry staples. Don't have soy sauce? Add a bit of salt. Short on fresh ginger? Skip it altogether and maybe toss in a few extra garlic cloves. Have beer instead of wine? Or prefer chicken broth? Go for it. This recipe is stress-free. One little caveat, and this is a biggie. Make this the day before you plan to eat it. Remember all that fat I was referring to earlier? It's so much easier to dispose of it quickly after it has congealed thanks to an overnight stay in the fridge. Yes, it's gross to chip congealed fat off your food, but it's much cleaner and efficient to do it this way vs. gently spooning off liquid grease blobs for what feels like forever.

If short ribs aren't your thing, use this liquid with a good roast. 

Chipotle-braised short ribs
1 large onion, sliced
6-8 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, roughly chopped
half jalapeno, sliced
1 cup cheap red wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp fresh ginger, sliced
1 tsp. season salt
1 tsp. cumin
1tsp. chili powder
approx. 2 lbs. short ribs
water

Dump all of this into a big dutch oven. Fill the pot with water until most of the meat is submerged in liquid. Bring to a boil on the stovetop, then stick into a 350 degree oven. Your goal here is really tender meat. Poke at it with a fork every now and then to gauge this. Mine cooked for three hours before achieving falling-apartness. Remove from oven, and let cool a bit before refrigerating overnight. When ready to eat, pick the congealed white fat from the top and discard. Reheat on stovetop, and serve with your favorite starchy goodness (grits, mashed potatoes, etc.), spooning the liquid over the top as a sauce. Brave eaters will be fine with picking meat off bones, but for pickier people, take a few minutes to remove the rib bones and tendons.